My Testimony of Jesus

Jesus is the Son of God. I learned this by the power of the Holy Ghost when I was not seventeen years old.

Heavenly Father's Promise To ALL

"If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." (1 Nephi 15:11, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ)

How People in the Book of Mormon Overcame Challenges Through Faith in Jesus Christ

This morning I've been contemplating how people in The Book of Mormon overcame their challenges through faith in Jesus Christ. There were those who became firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ (Helaman 3:35).

Nephi overcame great challenges, as did his father Lehi. What did Nephi do? Nephi always remembered. He always remembered God. He always remembered that God had directed them! He seems to have had a simple and tremendously powerful faith in God's character and attributes. When all around him were failing, Nephi remembered!!! (See 1 Nephi 16 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.) How did he do it? Was it because he was faithful in prayer? I can't help but think that that was part of it. (Those who stayed close to God in Lehi's vision of the tree fell down and worshipped.--1 Nephi 8:30.)

I believe that sincere prayer--daily prayer--can keep us close to God. For Latter-day Saints, prayer is a conversation with God. It is worship and our attempt to commune with God. Sometimes it is relegated to meaningless recitation, but at its best, prayer brings us into harmony with God. The purpose of prayer is for the one who is praying to come closer to God--to draw near to him--to become one with Him. When we pray, our souls can draw nearer to God. In the end, nearness to God and learning to seek unity with him are what bring us great joy. Through true prayer, we may know God (See John 17:3 and Joseph Smith History 1:15-20). There is deep and abiding satisfaction in learning to become like God.

Consider, from The Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon, what Jesus Christ has taught us about prayer.

To My Children: Letter 1, Jesus Christ, The Center of Heavenly Father's Plan

 Dear Children,

Jesus is the Christ. He is the Living Son of the Living God. He created all things from the beginning.

Jesus is the Son of our Heavenly Father. We lived with them in heaven before we were born on earth. 

Heavenly Father wanted us to become like Him. He has a body of flesh and bones like we do. (Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 130:22). And, He has knowledge. But in that state with Him, we did not yet have physical bodies! Our spirit bodies gave us the opportunity to choose. Our mortal bodies would give us an even greater opportunity to choose. By obtaining a mortal body, we could become like our Father and Mother in Heaven! We would choose what we would become!

In the Father's plan, all of His children were to come to earth. A veil of forgetfulness gives us the full opportunity to exercise our agency--our freedom to choose. We come to this earth not knowing anything! This was the state of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were the first two people whom God placed on the earth. They are our first parents and the ancestors of the entire human race!

One of Heavenly Father's sons opposed the plan. He did not believe in Jesus Christ, the central figure in God's plan. Jesus would come to redeem the world from sin (willful violation of God's law) and death (the natural consequence of choosing to become mortal). Adam and Eve willingly chose mortality. This they did so that all of us could also receive bodies and come to earth.

Satan, or Lucifer, fought against God's plan! There was a war in heaven. It was a war of words. Lucifer and his followers fought for their plan--that all would come to earth and all would be saved. We would have no choices! We fought for freedom because we knew that only through choices would we find knowledge and become more like our Heavenly Parents. When all had made their choice and chosen whom he or she would follow, Lucifer and his followers were cast down to the earth. You and I fought valiantly. We overcame Lucifer, the dragon, by the word of our testimonies of Jesus Christ! 

To help us decide what we want and whom we want to follow, Heavenly Father allows Satan and his followers to tempt us on earth. We do not see them, typically, but they are here, striving to lead us astray! Every person who is capable of knowing right and wrong is sometimes if not often tempted by Satan and his followers. 

 Hundreds of years before Jesus' mortal birth, a prophet in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, testified of Jesus Christ, The Messiah, "who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit," (2 Nephi 2:8, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

Jesus Christ will come again. He will rule as King of kings and reign as Lord of lords. Let us prepare.

The Lamb of God

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God."

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God." Today, I've been pondering what this name means.

In the beginning, before the earth was formed and before mankind was placed on the face thereof, Jesus Christ was chosen. God, our Ethernal Father--our Father--knew that we all would sin. And yet, He loved us! (see John 3:16) 

His purpose is for us to return to Him, clean and pure. In and through the atonement of Christ the Lord, our return to God is possible! Simply put, Jesus is the Lamb without blemish, the pure and spotless sacrifice offered by God for us--in our behalf. The Law of Moses and the Law of Sacrifice instituted from the beginning looked forward to the offering of Jesus Christ--His blood, shed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His body offered on the cross of Golgotha. 

Revelation 7:14

John 1:36

Nephi's numerous references to "the Lamb of God."

"Forty-four references to 'the Lamb' appear in Nephi's vision in 1 Nephi 11-14 alone," (https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/243, accessed on 27 June 2020).

I know that my Redeemer lives!

I know that my Redeemer lives! He is all that the Book of Mormon testifies that He is! He was bruised for our iniquities and, He knows our pain! (what makes Jesus Christ so important?) Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He came to Earth to take upon Him the sins, shortcomings, and frailties of all humankind. He is the King Immanuel--God with us. I know that He will come again, and at this very moment, this sphere is being prepared! To Joseph Smith Jesus said, "I, God, knowing the calamities which should come upon the children of men called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and gave him commandments . . . that faith might increase in the earth,"

calamity (is this a single event? Is this, or could this be the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet? {referenced by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the talk about the sister missionaries who got spat upon.} What is the abomination of desolation? Is it not the natural consequences of sin setting in or taking their disastrous effect? Obedience to God's commandments assures us of Divine Favor--through righteousness, we are naturally qualified for protection. I could site many examples. He that is tithed shall not be burned at the last day. That is significant doctrine! If I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, figuratively speaking, I am assured of preservation, because where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also. I know that Jesus is laboring to preserve scattered Israel in our time! The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is very bold and very clear on that point.

The "Mormon Moment"

16 January 2012

I read this article from the Washington Post the other day by Mormon Kathryn Skaggs. As often happens, within a few days comments both pro- and anti-Mormon began to cascade below the article. I weighed in with a few simple statements and suggestions. I'm new in the internet world, but what happened here looks to be a common phenomenon, at least when dealing with Mormonism.

The article touched off something of a firestorm of comments and counter-comments. I want to comment on how Mormons react to criticism.

Typically, faithful Mormons come to the defense of their religion, either in response to an article's content, or in response to another reader's comment.

What I find disappointing is that as often as not, Mormons respond to criticism in a tone that is less than civil. I think that is less that what Christ expects of us (see Matthew 5:43-47, for example). I think, if Mormons were kinder in their responses, much of the contention in these post-article discussions would dissipate. It takes two to tango. If we were content to civilly and respectfully defend our faith and then lay down our "weapons of war," I think we would find, like the anti-Nephi-Lehies of the Book of Mormon that some of those who are stirred up against us would be inclined to wonder what motivates us to be kind.